A corpora



M. LACHMAN.

METAL WHEEL.

APPLICZATION FILED AUG. 19, 1918.

Patented May 24, 1921 l/VVEA/TOR Jifczwxcelachman ATTORNEYS it 151 r e p My invention relates principally to the spoke portion of the .wheel or that portion f" ro BETHLEHEM STEEL coMrANY, 1 m'ronr rEnnsYLvANI-AJ To all concern! i' UNIT'ED STATES Be it known that I, .MAtmIoE ,LAGHMAN, a citizen ofthe United States, and a resident ofNew York, in the countyof New York and State of .New zY0rk,f have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Wheels, of which theffollowingis ;a specification.

I My invention relates to the construction 10,

of metalwheels and its objectisto so construct the wheel that it may be'made up 3"; largely from sheet'metal and so that at the sametime it shall be of great strength and rigidity and capable of effectively resisting torsional strains.

which co'nnectsthe huh and rim.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the wheel that the main portions, after suitable assembly, may secured together}by, one operation in a press or machine adapted to weld them together.

' 2' .Other features of thefinvention relate to portion isclosedin by 'disksor plates 'conthe manner of constructionwhen the spoke necting: the rim and hub which give the appearancerof ,a disk wheeljand in part contributeto the streng'thnof thev wheelif de sired.

. 'The invention consists of the features of construction and combinations of parts par- 7 ticularly; hereinafter? described, and then pointed out in-the claims.

In the accompanying drawin Figure, 1 is aside elevation gpartially'in 1 section)- of a portion of my improved wheel.

Fig-.2 is a horizontal cross-section on the Fig. 3isa v1ew similar to Fig. 2.,showing a modification of the invention.

i ;1.-Fig.4 is-a perspective view of a portion of on'e' 'of the [side-plates.-

sof

E Fig: illustrates a ,furtlier modification I ofthe'invention;,..

Referring more particularlyto the draw- "force the spoke portion of t PATENT OFFICE...

'HAUEIGE LACHMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, or BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- Specification of Letters Patent. P t t May 24, 192 Application filed August 19, 1918. Serial no. 250,428.

metal strip or strips constituting wholly or in part the spoke portion of the wheel.

The sheetmetal of this portion of the wheel '1s arranged as shown with the :plane of the strips of sheet metal bent into zig-zag form and w1th the loops at the periphery bearing directly against the inner surface-of the rim at which point said loops take the form of an arc the-same as the arc of the inner circumference of the rim where they engage thereby giving a wideor extended bearing surface between them. The loops at the inner-or hubportion of the zig-rzag may have similar bearing if desired on the barrel of. the hubs Preferably for simplicity and cheapness of construction the; element 2 is made of a singlestrip of metalwhose ends are welded together as at point 2. The element 2 formed as shown for the completed wheel being made of sheet metal ma be sprung into place between the flanges o the rim.

3 indicatessheet metal sideplates of any desired numberapplied to the edges of the surfaces to said edges preferablyby electric welding. Said side plates are preferably in the form of annuli and to assist in welding each may be provided with a ridge 3v projectingfrom its inner surface to engage the [edge of the sheet metal forming the spoke portion 2 thereby forming limited areas of contact suitable for an electric welding operation.

,.As will be seen, by assemblin the parts- 7 1, 2, 3 in a welding machineint e relation Showmtheplates 2 and 3 maybe readily welded together at points of engagement of the inner surface of 3 with the edge of 2 by compressing the assembled structure between suitable welding dies.

' The side plates 3 of which there maybe any desired" number stren then and reinhe structure and element 2 and directly welded bytheir inner edge, meet the edge of the flanges at 5 where the flange and disk edge may, if desired, be welded or brazed together by any desired means. The body of the sheet metal disk -is-- preferably fastened at intervals by spot welds indicated at 6 to the spoke portion of the structure. If desired,these welds might be made at the same time that the annuli 3 are welded to the sheet metal spokes by assembling them all together in the welding machine, applying pressure and electric current, the disk having been previously provided with suitable welding points or pro jections on its interior surface preferably in line with the points of weldin between 2 and 3. Or the pressure die might be provided with welding electrodes or points at the desired positions of the welds between 4; and 3. V

7 indicates. suitable reinforcing plates located in the rim and bridging the flanges of the rim. These may be suitably fastened in position by securing them to the loops of the bent spoke element 2 or otherwise and serve to additionally strengthen the rim part of the wheel.

As will be seen, the ends of the reinforcing plates 7 may form a bearing for the edges of the closing disks 4:. To further secure the spoke element 2 inposition the are of the loop bearing against the inner surface of the rim may be spotwelded or otherwise secured thereto.

In the modification of-my invention illustrated in Fig. 3 the meeting edges of the flanges on the rim and the disk are secured together and the joint between them closed and detachment of the closure disk prevented by expanding the edge of the peripheral flange on the disk under the edge of the flange on the rim and by further, if desired, spinning over the edge of the flange on the rim upon said edge of the disk. This will securely fasten the closing disk against detachment. 7 If desired, welds between the body of thedisk and the spoke structure may be omitted.

Fig. 5 shows a modification in the manner of. joining the side plate and flange of the rim at their meeting point by turning over or spinning down the free edge of the plate upon the outside of the flange.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A metal wheel the spoke portion, of which consistsof a sheet metal plate having a free edge of the sheet metal presented to theside of the wheel combined witha sheet metal side plate circumferentially contin uous between the hub and rim and welded by its inner surface to the free edge of the sheet metal plate of which the spoke portion consists.

2. A metal wheel having a spoke portion consisting of a sheet'metal plate having the free edge of the sheet metal presented to the side of the wheel combined with anannulus of sheet metal welded by its inner face to the edge of the said sheet metal plate between the hub and rim. Y

3. Inametal wheel, a spoke portion consisting of a sheet metal plate having the free edge of the sheet metal presented to the side of the wheel combined with a metal side plate having anannular ridge welded to the edge of the sheet metal forming the spoke portion.

4:. In a metal wheel, a spokeportion comprising a sheet metal plate bent-into zig-zag form and having the plane of the sheet transverse to the plane of the wheel and having loops followi-ng the contour of the rim and engaged :with the inner. surface thereof. j

5. A metal wheel having a spoke portion consisting of a plate of sheet metal bent into zig-zag form with the plane of the plate transverse to the plane of the wheel combined with circumferentially continuous sheet metal side plates welded by their inner surfaces to the'free edge of, the plate forming thespoke portion..' 7

6. A metal wheel comprising ametal rim having at its opposite edges inwardly di- 'rected flanges integral therewith and a spoke portion comprising an endless strip of sheet metal bent into zig-zagform and embraced between said flanges.

7. A metal wheel whose spoke portion embodies a strip of sheet metal having edges presented to the sides of the. wheel, sheet metal side plates engaging the edges of said strip and welded thereto on their inner surfaces, a flanged metal rim embracing said spoke portion by its flanges and metal disks inclosing the spoke portion and side plates and having a peripheral edge meeting said flanges. V

8. A metal wheel whose spoke portion embodies a strip of sheet metal having edges presented to the sides of the wheel,'sheet metal side plates engaging the edges of said strip and welded thereto on their inner surfaces, a flanged metal rim embracing said spoke portion by its flanges and metal disks inclosing thespoke portion and side plates and having a peripheral edge meetingsaid flanges. and fastened to said side plates.

9. A metal wheel comprising sheet metal forming a spoke portion and havingopposite edges presented. to the sides of the wheel,annular sheet metal plates engaging the edges of the sheet metal forming the New York, and State of New York, this 16th spoke portion and secured thereto, a metal day of August, A. D.'1918. rim and disks inclosing the sgoke-portion V and side plates the edges of sai disks meet- MAURICE LACHMAN v 5 ing the edges of the rim to form a closure Witnesses:

of the oke structure. F. B. TOWNSEND,

Signe at New York, in the county of i F. E. Howmm. 

